KEY POINTS:
SYDNEY - Australia heaped more humiliation on England with a nine-wicket victory in their tri-series one-day international at Adelaide Oval yesterday as the tourists produced their worst batting display of a disastrous tour.
Australia cruised to an easy victory with more than half of their 50 overs to
spare, booking their place in the finals after England crumbled to be all out for 110.
It was England's lowest total of the tour and the ninth lowest of the 450 one-day matches they have contested since one-dayer started in 1971.
The tourists looked to have reached their nadir after being bowled out for 129 in their second Ashes test defeat in Adelaide then 120 in their 90-run loss to New Zealand three days ago, but their latest effort eclipsed both of those.
Ian Bell topscored with 35 off 31 balls and was the only batsman to make any impression against an Australian side missing two of their frontline bowlers.
Bell slammed a six and two fours in a defiant display but only four other players made double figures and none made 20 after Andrew Flintoff won the toss and elected to bat first on a flat pitch offering little assistance to the bowlers.
Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson, who was promoted to the team after Glenn McGrath and Nathan Bracken were given the match off, captured four wickets for 45.
Brett Lee got two for eight and spinner Brad Hogg two for 16.
Australia had almost half their target when the teams took their scheduled innings break, then polished off the remaining runs before the floodlights were turned on for the night session.
Australia suffered a minor hiccup when Adam Gilchrist was run out for 23 off 19 balls, but Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting guided them to victory with an unbroken 79-run partnership.
Ponting was unbeaten on 51 after being dropped early in his innings.
Scoreboard
ENGLAND
A. Strauss c Gilchrist b Johnson 17
M. Loye c Gilchrist b Lee 9
I. Bell c Clarke b Clark 35
E. Joyce c Johnson b Lee 11
P. Collingwood c Clark b Symonds 3
A. Flintoff c Ponting b Johnson 16
J. Dalrymple c Gilchrist b Johson 10
P. Nixon c and b Hogg 4
L. Plunkett c Clark b Johnson 0
C. Tremlett c White b Hogg 0
M. Panesar not out 0
Extras (5w) 5
Total (34.3 overs) 110
Fall: 1/14, 2/47, 3/72, 4/79, 5/81, 6/103, 7/106, 8/106, 9/107, 10/110.
Bowling: Lee 8-2-8-2, Johnson 10-2-45-4 (1w), Clark 5-0-21-1 (1w), Symonds 5-0-20-1 (3w), Hogg 6.3-0-16-2.
AUSTRALIA
A. Gilchrist run out 23
M. Hayden not out 30
R. Ponting not out 51
Extras (2lb, 4w, 1nb) 7
Total (for 1 wkt, 24.3 overs) 111
Fall: 1/32.
Bowling: Plunkett 5-0-39-0 (1w), Tremlett 9.3-0-41-0 (1nb, 2w), Flintoff 3-1-4-0, Panesar 5-0-19-0, Dalrymple 2-0-6-0 (1w).
Result: Australia won by nine wickets.
- REUTERS